Two-phase optical inspection method and apparatus for defect detection

ABSTRACT

A method and apparatus for inspecting the surface of articles, such as chips and wafers, for defects, includes a first phase of optically examining the complete surface of the article inspected by scanning its complete surface at a relatively high speed and with an optical beam of relatively small diameter, particularly a laser beam, and a second phase of optically examining with a relatively high spatial resolution only the suspected locations for the presence or absence of a defect therein.

FIELD AND BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for opticallyinspecting the surface of an article for defects. The invention isparticularly useful for optically inspecting patterned semiconductorwafers used in producing integrated-circuit dies or chips, and theinvention is therefore described below particularly with respect to thisapplication.

The inspection of unpatterned semiconductor wafers for surface-lyingparticles is relatively simple and can be easily automated. In one knowntype of such system, the wafer is scanned by a laser beam, and aphotodetector detects the presence of a particle by collecting the lightscattered by the particle. However, the inspection of patternedsemiconductor wafers for defects in the pattern is considerably moredifficult because the light scattered by the pattern overwhelms thelight scattered from the particles or defects, thereby producing highrates of false alarms.

The existing inspection systems for inspecting patterned wafers aregenerally based on analyzing high resolution two-dimensional images ofthe patterned wafer utilizing an opto-electric converter, such as a CCD(charge-coupled device), on a pixel-by-pixel basis. However, theextremely large number of pixels involved makes such systems extremelyslow. For this reason, the inspection of patterned wafers is done at thepresent time almost only for statistical sampling purposes. As a result,microdefects in patterned semiconductor wafers remain largely undetecteduntil a considerable number of such wafers have been fabricated and havebegun to exhibit problems caused by the defects. The late discovery ofsuch defects can therefore result in considerable losses, low yields,and large downtimes.

There is therefore an urgent need to inspect patterned semiconductorwafers at relatively high speeds and with a relatively low false alarmrate in order to permit inspection during or immediately after thefabrication of the wafer so as to quickly identify any process producingdefects and thereby to enable immediate corrective action to be taken.This need is made even more critical by the increasing element density,die size, and number of layers in the integrated circuits now beingproduced from these wafers, and now being designed for futureproduction, which requires that the number of microdefects per wafer bedrastically reduced to attain a reasonable die yield.

OBJECTS AND BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An object of the present invention is to provide a novel method andapparatus having advantages in the above respects for inspecting thesurface of articles for defects.

In particular, an object of the invention is to provide a method andapparatus for automatically inspecting patterned semiconductor waferscharacterized by a relatively high speed and relatively low rate offalse alarms such that the patterned wafers may be tested while thewafers are in the production line to quickly enable the fabricationpersonnel to identify any process or equipment causing yield reduction,to receive fast feedback information after corrective actions, and topredict potential yield loss.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an inspectionmethod and apparatus which are capable of inspecting all the criticallayers, and which supply data on defects caused by the presence ofparticles and defects in the patterns.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided amethod of inspecting the surface of an article for defects by: opticallyexamining, in a first phase examination, the complete surface of thearticle and electrically outputting information indicating locations onthe article suspected of having defects; storing the suspected locationsin a storage device; and, in a second phase examination, opticallyexamining with high resolution only the suspected locations of thearticle's surface for determining the presence or absence of a defect inthe suspected locations; characterized in that the first phaseexamination is effected by optically scanning the complete surface ofthe article at a high speed with an optical beam of small diameter.Thus, by selecting the diameter of the optical beam used in the firstphase examination, the first phase examination may be made at anydesired resolution, as compared to the second phase examination,according to the particular application.

According to further features of the invention, the first examiningphase is effected by optically scanning the complete article surface tobe inspected with a laser beam of small diameter; and the secondexamining phase is automatically effected immediately after the firstphase by imaging only the suspected locations on an image converterwhich converts the images to electrical signals and then analyzes theelectrical signals.

According to still further features in preferred embodiments of theinvention described below, the surface of the article to be inspectedincludes a pattern, e.g., a patterned wafer used for producing aplurality of integrated-circuit dies or chips. The first examinationphase is effected by making a comparison between the inspected patternand another pattern, serving as a reference pattern, to identifylocations on the inspected pattern wherein there are sufficientdifferences with respect to the reference pattern to indicate a highprobability of a defect in the inspected pattern. The second examinationphase is also effected by making a comparison between the inspectedpattern and the reference pattern, to identify locations on theinspected pattern wherein the comparison shows sufficient differenceswith respect to the reference pattern to indicate the presence of adefect in the suspected location of the inspected pattern.

The reference pattern may be a pattern on another like article (e.g.,die-to-die comparison), another like pattern on the same article(repetitive pattern comparison), or data stored in a database(die-to-database comparison).

It will thus be seen that the novel method of the present inventionprimarily monitors changes in the defect density while maintaining ahigh throughput with a relatively low false alarm rate. Thus, the firstexamination is done at a relatively high speed with an optical beam ofsmall diameter, such as a small-diameter laser beam to indicate onlysuspected locations having a high probability of a defect; and thesecond examination is done with a relatively high spatial resolution butonly with respect to the suspected locations having a high probabilityof a defect. The sensitivity of the two phases may be adjusted accordingto the requirements for any particular application. Thus, where theapplication involves a relatively low number of defects, the sensitivityof the first examination phase may be increased by using a verysmall-diameter laser beam to detect very small defects at a high speedbut at the expense of an increased false alarm rate. However, since onlyrelatively few suspected locations are examined in the second phase, theoverall inspection can be effected relatively quickly to enable thefabrication personnel to identify defects caused by any process orequipment, and to immediately correct the cause for such defects.

According to a further feature of the invention, the first examiningphase is effected by generating a first flow of N different streams ofdata representing the pixels of different views of the inspected patternunit; generating a second flow of N different streams of datarepresenting the pixels of corresponding views of the reference; andcomparing the data of the first flow with the data of the second flow toprovide an indication of the suspected locations of the inspectedsurface of the article having a high probability of a defect.

According to still further features of the invention, the pattern isbased on a grid of angularly-spaced lines (e.g., 45° spacing); and the Nstreams of data in each flow are generated by a circular array of lightcollectors. The light collectors are located to collect the light inregions midway between the angularly-spaced lines of the grid. Such anarrangement minimizes the amount of pattern-reflected light, collectedby the light collectors; that is, such an arrangement does not see mostof the pattern, except pattern irregularities, corners and curves.

Preferably, there are eight light collectors each located to collect thelight in a region midway between each pair of the angularly-spaced linesof the grid; it is contemplated, however, that the system could includeanother member, e.g., four such light collectors equally spaced betweenthe grid lines.

According to still further features of the invention, the secondexamining phase is effected by imaging on a converter each suspectedlocation of the inspected pattern unit and the corresponding location ofthe reference pattern unit to output two sets of electrical signalscorresponding to the pixels of the inspected pattern unit and thereference pattern unit, respectively; and comparing the pixels of theinspected pattern unit with the corresponding pixels of the referencepattern unit to indicate a defect whenever a mismatch of a predeterminedmagnitude is found to exist at the respective location. Each suspectedlocation of the inspected pattern unit and the reference pattern unit isimaged at a plurality of different depths, and the electric signals ofone set are shifted with respect to those of the other set to match therespective depths of the images.

The invention also provides apparatus for inspecting articles,particularly patterned semiconductor wafers, in accordance with theabove method.

Further features and advantages of the invention will be apparent fromthe description below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention is herein described, by way of example only, withreference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a pictorial illustration of one form of apparatus constructedin accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating the wafer handling andimage-acquisition system in the apparatus of FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the optic system in the first examiningphase of the apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a top plan view illustrating the disposition of the lightcollectors in the optic system of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a diagram more particularly illustrating the disposition ofthe light collectors in FIG. 5, FIG. 6a showing a variation;

FIGS. 7 and 7a are diagrams illustrating one of the light collectors inthe arrangements of FIGS. 6 and 6a, respectively;

FIGS. 8 and 8a are diagrams more particularly illustrating the lightcollecting zones in the arrangements of FIGS. 6 and 6a, respectively.

FIGS. 9-11 are diagrams illustrating the manner of scanning the wafer inthe Phase I examination;

FIG. 12 is a block diagram illustrating the Phase I processing system;

FIG. 13 is a block diagram illustrating the main components of thepreprocessor in one channel of the processing system of FIG. 12;

FIG. 14 is a block diagram illustrating one channel in the processingsystem of FIG. 12 following the preprocessor, FIG. 14a illustrating thealgorithm involved in one of the operations performed by that system;

FIG. 15 is a block diagram particularly illustrating a portion of theprocessing system of FIG. 14;

FIG. 16 is a block diagram particularly illustrating the ThresholdProcessor in the processing system of FIG. 12;

FIG. 17 is a block diagram more particularly illustrating the PixelCharacterizer of FIG. 15, FIG. 17a illustrating the algorithm involved;

FIGS. 18, 19 and 20 are block diagrams more particularly illustratingthe Ratio, Gradient and Maximum Definition Calculator in the system ofFIG. 17;

FIGS. 21a and 21b illustrate the nine registers in the Ratio Calculatorand Gradient Calculator, respectively;

FIG. 22 illustrates the Score Calculator in the image processor channelof FIG. 14, FIG. 22a being diagrams helpful in understanding theoperation of the crossbar switch (73i) of FIG. 22;

FIG. 23 is a block diagram helpful in understanding the operation of thescore calculator of FIG. 22;

FIG. 24 is a block diagram illustrating more particularly the DefectDetector portion of the image processor of FIG. 14;

FIG. 25 is a block diagram illustrating more particulars of thecomparator 77 of FIG. 24, FIG. 25a illustrating the algorithm involved;

FIG. 26 is a diagram illustrating the main elements of the Phase IIoptic system;

FIGS. 27-31 are diagrams illustrating the construction and operation ofthe Phase II examination system;

FIG. 32 is a diagram helpful in explaining the repetitive-patterncomparison technique;

FIGS. 33, 34 and 35 are block diagrams corresponding to FIGS. 12, 14 and24, respectively, but showing the modifications for the repetitivepattern-pattern comparison technique;

FIG. 36 is an optical diagram corresponding to FIG. 26, but illustratingmodifications in the Phase II examination;

FIG. 37 is a diagram helpful in explaining the modifications in thePhase II examination;

FIGS. 38 and 39 are block diagrams corresponding to FIGS. 27 and 28,respectively, but showing the changes in the Phase II examination;

FIG. 40 is a block diagram illustrating an implementation of adie-to-database comparison technique;

FIGS. 41 and 42 are diagrams illustrating the kinds of corners, andkinds of curves, involved in the system of FIG. 40;

FIG. 43 is a diagram illustrating the array of detectors involved in thesystem of FIG. 40;

FIGS. 44, 45 and 46 further diagrams helpful in explaining the operationof the system of FIG. 40;

FIG. 47 is a block diagram illustrating the preprocessor in the systemof FIG. 40;

FIG. 48 is a block diagram helpful in explaining the operation of thespanner in the system of FIG. 40; and

FIG. 49 is a flow chart illustrating the operation of the spanner in thesystem of FIG. 40.

DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Overall System

The system illustrated in the drawings is designed particularly forautomatically inspecting patterned semiconductor wafers having aplurality of like integrated-circuit dies each formed with likepatterns. The system inspects each pattern, called the inspectedpattern, by comparing it with at least one other pattern on the wafer,serving as the reference pattern, to detect any differences which wouldindicate a defect in the inspected pattern.

The inspection is made in two phases: In the first phase, the completesurface of the wafer is inspected at a relatively high speed and with arelatively low spatial resolution; and information is outputtedindicating suspected locations on the wafer having a high probability ofa defect. These locations are stored in a storage device. In the secondphase, only the suspected locations stored in the storage device areexamined with a relatively high spatial resolution; and a determinationis made as to the presence or absence of a defect. This facilitatesidentification and correction of the process that created the defect.

The inspection apparatus illustrated in FIGS. 1-3 of the drawingsincludes a table 2 for receiving the wafer W to be inspected. The firstphase inspection of the wafer is by a laser 3 outputting a laser beamwhich scans the complete surface of the wafer W; and a plurality oflight collectors 4 arranged in a circular array to collect the lightscattered from the wafer and to transmit the scattered light to aplurality of detectors 5. The outputs of the detectors 5 are fed via aPhase I preprocessor 6 to a Phase I image processor 7, which processesthe information under the control of a main controller 8. The Phase Iimage processor 7 processes the outputs of the detectors 5 and producesinformation indicating suspected locations on the wafer having a highprobability of a defect. These suspected locations are stored within astorage device in the main controller 8.

Only the suspected locations having a high probability of a defect areexamined by the Phase II examining system. This system includes an opticsystem for imaging the suspected location on an opto-electric converter,e.g., a CCD matrix 9, which converts the images to electric signals.These signals are fed via a Phase II preprocessor 10 to a Phase II imageprocessor 11 which, under the control the main controller 8, outputsinformation indicating the presence or absence of a defect in eachsuspected location examined in Phase II.

In the block diagram illustrated in FIG. 2, the table 2 of FIG. 1, andassociated elements involved in the wafer handling system, are indicatedgenerally by block 12. Table 2 is controlled by a movement controlsystem, indicated by block 13, to effect the proper positioning of thewafer on the table 2 in each of the Phase I and Phase II examinationphases, and also the scanning of the wafer W in the Phase I examination.

The light detectors 5 of FIG. 1 are included in the Phase I imageacquisition sensor indicated by block S₁ in FIG. 2; and theopto-electric converter 9 of FIG. 1 is included within the Phase IIimage acquisition sensor indicated by block S₂ in FIG. 2.

FIG. 2 also illustrates a post processor 14 processing the informationfrom the Phase I processor 7; the main controller 8 which manages andsynchronizes the data and controls the flow; a keyboard 15 enabling theoperator to input information into the main controller 8; and a monitor16 enabling the operator to monitor the processing of the information.

All the elements in the wafer handling and image acquisition subsystemfor both phases are included within the broken-line box generallydesignated A in FIG. 2; all the elements of the image processorsubsystem (both the algorithms and the hardware) for both phases areindicated by the broken-line block B; and all the elements in theoperator console subsystem are indicated by the broken-line block C. Thelatter subsystem includes not only the main controller 8, keyboard 15,and monitor 16, but also a graphic terminal unit, shown at 17 in FIG. 1.

The other elements illustrated in FIG. 1 are described more particularlybelow in connection with their respective subsystems.

Wafer Handling and Image Acquisition

FIG. 3 more particularly illustrates the wafer handling and imageacquisition subsystem Sa (FIG. 2).

This subsection includes the table 2 which is of a large mass (such asof granite). It is mounted on vibration isolators 20 to dampen highfrequency vibrations from the outside world.

The subsection illustrated in FIG. 3 also includes the movementcontroller 13 controlled by the main controller 8. Movement controller13 controls a one-directional scanning stage 21. This stage moves avacuum chuck 24 which holds the wafer flattened during its movement inone orthogonal direction with respect to the Phase I sensors 5, as thelaser beam from the laser 3 is deflected in the other orthogonaldirection to scan the complete surface of the wafer during the Phase Iexamination.

Movement controller 13 further controls a two-dimensional scanning stage22 effective, during the Phase II examination, to position the wafer atany desired position with respect to the Phase II detector 9 (the CCDmatrix). AS described in detail below, the control of one of the axes ofthis stage serves also during the Phase I examination. Movementcontroller 13 further controls a rotation/level/focus stage 23, whichrotates the wafer about its axis to align it angularly, to level it, andto keep it in focus during scanning. Stage 23 also moves the vacuumchuck 24 and its wafer towards or away from the Phase II sensor 9 toenable producing a plurality of images at different depths during thePhase II examination, as will be described more particularly below.

FIG. 3 also schematically illustrates a wafer handler 25 which transfersthe wafer W between the vacuum chuck 24, a wafer prealigner 26, andcassettes 27 and 28. The wafer prealigner 26 initially aligns the waferangularly and centers it, and also schematically illustrated in FIG. 3is an optical character recognition unit 29 which reads the waferidentification code.

The foregoing components are generally individually well-known and aretherefore not described herein in detail.

Phase I Optic System

As shown in FIG. 4, the laser 3 (e.g., an argon laser) outputs a laserbeam which is passed through a polarizer beam splitter 30 oriented insuch a way to transmit the laser light to the wafer W, but to reflectthe reflected light from the wafer to a photodetector 31. The latteroutputs an electric signal controlling the Phase I preprocessor 6. Thelaser beam from beam splitter 30 is passed through a beam expander 32,then through a cylindrical lens 33a, a deflector 34, another cylindricallens 33b, a folding mirror 35, a multi-magnification telescope 36, abeam splitter 37, a quarter wavelength plate 38 which converts thelinearly polarized light to a circularly polarized light and vice versa,and finally through a microscope objective 39, which focuses the laserbeam on the wafer W.

The beam expander 32 expands the laser beam diameter to fill the opticaperture of the deflector 34, and the cylindrical lens 33a focuses thelaser beam onto the deflector 34. Deflector 34 is an acousto-opticdeflector. It scans the laser beam in one orthogonal direction in asawtooth pattern in the time domain, while the motion controller movesthe table (and the wafer thereon) in the other orthogonal direction inorder to scan the complete surface of the wafer. The folding mirror 35reflects the laser beam into the multi-magnification telescope 36, whichmatches the laser beam diameter and scan aperture to fit the inputrequirements of standard microscopic optics. Slit 40 within telescope 36permits only the first order defracted light of the laser beam toimpinge the wafer W.

Beam splitter 37 passes a part of the beam to the wafer, as describedabove, and reflects another part to an autofocus unit 41, whichdetermines whether the wafer is in the focus of the microscope objective39. The autofocus unit can be a standard one, such as the one used inthe Leitz Ergolux microscope.

The light reflected from the laser beam by the wafer W being inspectedis collected by a plurality of light collectors 42 arranged in acircular array around the objective lens 39, as shown more particularlyin FIGS. 5 and 6. The pattern on the wafer W is based on a grid of linesspaced 45° from each other. The circular array of light collectors 42are located to collect the light in the regions midway between theangularly-spaced lines of the grid, in order to minimize the amount ofpattern-reflected light collected by them. In the example illustrated inFIGS. 5 and 6, there are eight of such light collectors 42, each spacedmidway between two adjacent grid lines. The apparatus, however, couldinclude only four of such light collectors, as described moreparticularly below with respect to FIGS. 6a, 7a and 8a.

Baffles 43 (FIG. 7) keeps spurious laser light from reaching the waferW. Further baffles 44 (FIG. 6) between the light collectors 42 limit thefield of view of the light collectors 42 to the predetermined region onthe wafer to minimize the amount of spurious laser light collected bythem.

Each of the light collectors 42 includes an optic fibre having an inletend 42a (FIG. 7) adjacent to the point of impingement of the laser beamon the wafer W, in order to collect the light scattered by the wafer,and an outlet end 42b adjacent a lens 45 for focussing the light onto aphotodetector sensor 46.

The inlet end 42a of each optic fibre is confined to a shaped, curvedregion, as more particularly illustrated at 47 in FIG. 8. This end ofeach region has a pair of sides 47a, 47b, converging from a base 47c,which base is located substantially parallel to the table 2 receivingthe wafer W to be inspected. The two sides 47a, 47b converge to apointed tip 47d overlying the table receiving the wafer.

As shown in FIG. 8, the inlet ends of the optic fibres 42 thus definelight collecting zones α, separated by non-collecting zones β. In theillustrated example, the width of each light-collecting zone α is 16° atthe bottom surface (47c), and its height (φ) is 49°. Such an arrangementminimizes the pattern-reflected light, and maximizes thedefect-reflected light, collected by the light collectors.

Another example of the light-gathering optics which may be used isillustrated in FIGS. 6a, 7a and 8a, corresponding to the above-describedFIGS. 6, 7 and 8, respectively. In this example, there are only fourlight collectors, therein designated 42', located at angles of 45°,135°, 225° and 315°, respectively. This configuration is useful when theobject to be inspected consists of lines in only two orthogonaldirections (0° and 90°). Another advantage of this configuration is thatthe objective 39' may have a higher numerical aperture, and thus thespot size used for scanning may be smaller. The light collecting zonesin this configuration are illustrated at 47' in FIG. 8a. As one example,the width α of the light collecting zones may be 30°, and their heightmay be 45°.

As shown in FIG. 9, the wafer W being inspected is formed with aplurality of integrated-circuit dies D₁ -D_(n) each including the samepattern. In the Phase I examination, the complete surface of the waferis scanned by the laser beam 3, and the resulting scattered light iscollected by the above-described light collectors 42 in order to detectdefects, or at least those suspected areas having a high likelihood ofincluding a defect and therefore to be more carefully examined duringthe Phase II examination. As also indicated above, during the Phase Iexamination (and also the Phase II examination), the pattern of one dieD, serving as the inspected pattern, is compared with the light patternof at least one other die, serving as the reference pattern, todetermine the likelihood of a defect being present in the inspectedpattern.

FIGS. 9-11 illustrate the manner of carrying out the scanning of thewafer in the Phase I examination.

Thus, as shown in FIG. 9, the laser beam is deflected in the X-directionby the acousto-optic deflector 34 (FIG. 4) so as to form a scanning lineshown at 50 in FIG. 11. At the same time, the scanning stage 21 of thetable 2 supporting the wafer W moves the wafer beneath the wafer spot ata continuous constant velocity in the Y-direction, to thereby produce araster scan indicated at 51 in FIG. 11. In the example illustrated, thescanning length of line 50 is 1 mm (1,000 microns); the distance betweentwo adjacent lines S_(y) is 0.6 microns; and the distance equal to thesampling distance (S_(x)) in the X-direction is similarly 0.6 microns.The spot size of the laser beam, shown at 52, is about 3.0 microns(i.e., covering approximately 5 sample points).

Thus, the scanning stage 21 scans the wafer between the points a and bin the Y-direction, as shown in FIG. 9. As a result, an area is coveredhaving a width (w) of about 1 mm, and a length equal to the distancebetween point a and b.

The wafer is then moved in the X-direction from point b to point c (FIG.9) by the scanning stage 22 (FIG. 3), and the area between points c andd is then scanned, and so forth.

The scanning is done in such a way that there is an overlap (t, FIG. 10)between adjacent stripes scanned by the laser beam 52. In the exampleillustrated in the drawings, the overlap (t) is 0.2 mm.

In this manner, different dies on the same wafer are continuouslyscanned to produce the scattered light collected by the light collectors42 (or 42', FIGS. 6a-8a) so as to enable a die-by-die comparison to bemade of each die, called the inspected die, with another die, called thereference die, to produce an indication of the probability of a defectin the inspected die.

As indicated earlier, the Phase I examination system may include eightlight detectors 46 (or four light detectors where the variation of FIGS.6a-8a is used) for inspecting the wafer for defects. However, it mayalso include a further detector (a reflected light detector) to provideadditional information for the registration procedure. Thus, themisalignment may be detected from the reflected light detector image bycomputing the cross-correlation between a rectangle of pixels in theinspected image, and the rectangle of pixels in the reference image inall possible misalignments. This information may be used where the scorematrix computed in the alignment control circuit does not provide asignificant indication of the correct misalignment.

Phase I Image Processor

The Phase I examination is effected by: (a) generating a first flow of Nstreams of data (N being the number of light collectors 42, or 42')representing the pixels of different images of the inspected pattern;(b) generating a second flow of N streams of data representing thepixels of different images of the reference pattern; and (c) comparingthe data of the first flow with the data of the second flow to providean indication by the comparison of the suspected locations of theinspected pattern having a high probability of a defect. The comparisonis effected by correcting any misalignment between the two flows ofdata; comparing the data of each stream of the first flow with the dataof the corresponding stream of the second flow to provide a differenceor alarm value indicating the significance of the presence of asuspected pixel in the stream; and detecting a defect at a pixellocation according to N difference or alarm values corresponding to theN streams of data.

FIG. 12 is a functional block diagram of the Phase I image processor. Itincludes an input from each of the eight sensors 46a-46b (eachcorresponding to photodetector sensor 46 in FIG. 7) to their respectivepreprocessors 6a-6g. The sensors convert the light signals to analogelectrical signals, and the preprocessors sample the latter signals atpixel intervals and convert them to digital data. The outputs of thepreprocessors are thus in the form of streams of pixel values forming adigital version of the image.

As shown in FIG. 13, the preprocessor 6 in each channel includes apreamplifier 56 which converts the current received from its respectivesensor 46 into a voltage and amplifies it to a level suitable as aninput to an A/D converter 57. The parameters of amplification can becontrolled in accordance with the characteristics of the signal receivedfrom the inspected wafer. The A/D converter 57 samples the analogvoltage and converts it to a digital value. Sampling of the image iscarried out continuously to obtain a two-dimensional image of theobject.

Two flows of eight streams of data are thus generated: One flowrepresents the pixels of eight different images of the reference patternpreviously stored in a temporary memory; and the other flow representsthe pixels of different images of the inspected pattern to be comparedwith those of the reference pattern in order to provide an indication ofthe presence of a defect in the inspected pattern. The detection ofdefects is made in a Defect Detector circuit 60a-60h for each of theeight streams.

The processing system illustrated in FIG. 12 further includes anAlignment Control Circuit 62 which controls a Registrator Circuit64a-64h for each second Defect Detector circuit 60a-60h. Thus, theRegistrator Circuits 64a, 64c, 64e and 64g continuously monitor theregistration between the reference and inspected images. They produce ascore matrix for each of the chosen registration points, and output ascore matrix (i.e., a matrix of values) for each of the possible shiftpositions around the current registration point. The Alignment ControlCircuit 62 analyzes the score matrices obtained from four of the sensorchannels (i.e., every other one). It computes the value of alignmenterror signals (D_(x), D_(y)) where the best match occurs, and outputsthe alignment control signals to the Defect Detector circuits 60a-60h tocorrect misalignment between the two flows of data streams.

The Defect Detector circuits 60a-60h feed their outputs to a DecisionTable 66 which makes a decision, based on the alarm values obtained fromall eight sensor channels, as to whether a Global Defect Alarm (i.e., alogical output indicating the existence of a defect at a given location)should be issued or not. The Decision Table 66 thus receives, as inputs,the alarm values from all eight channels, and outputs a Defect flag.

Each of the eight alarm values has one of three values (0, 1 or 2)indicating no alarm, low alarm, and high alarm, respectively. Thedecision table is set to output a defect flag "1", indicating theexistence of a defect if, and only if: (a) at least one alarm value is"2"; and (b) at least two adjacent alarm values are "2" or "1" (alarmvalues of channels "a" and "g" are adjacent).

The output of Decision Table 66 is applied to a parameters buffercircuit 68 which records the parameters describing each defect, such asthe exact coordinates and the type (to be explained later) end intensityof the pixels in the immediate vicinity of the defect in both theinspected and reference images. It receives as inputs the alarm flagtrigger ("0" indicates no defect, and "1" indicates a defect), and allthe parameters to be recorded. the latter are received from temporarymemories associated with each of the eight channels. The parametersbuffer 68 outputs a list of the defects accompanied by their parametersto the post processor 14.

The post processor 14 receives the list of suspected defects, togetherwith their relevant parameters, and makes decisions before passing themon to the main controller for processing by the Phase II image processorsystem. It outputs a list of suspected points to transmit to the PhaseII examination system, including their parameters, and also a list ofdefects which will not be transmitted to the Phase II examinationsystem.

FIG. 14 more particularly illustrates the Defect Detector (e.g., 60a)and its associated Registrator (64a) in one channel of the imageprocessor of FIG. 12.

Detection of defects by the defect detector in each channel is based onthe comparison of each pixel in the inspected stream with thecorresponding pixel in the corresponding reference stream. Pixels arecompared relative to an adaptive threshold determining detectionsensitivity according to pixel type. The type of each pixel isdetermined by pixel characteristics, such as signal intensity and shapein a 3×3 neighbourhood.

Thus, the digital image from the preprocessor (6a-6h) in the respectivestream is fed to a Threshold Processor 70, and also to a Delay Buffer71. The outputs from the Threshold Processor 70 and the Delay Buffer 71are applied to Pixel Characterizers 72 and 74. Pixel Characterizer 72 isin the Registrator Circuit 64a (FIG. 12) which circuit outputs signalsto a Score Calculator 73 (FIG. 14) controlling (with three other streamsas indicated above) the Alignment control circuit 62 (FIG. 12). PixelCharacterizer 74 is used for comparison. It is connected to a ReferenceDie Memory 75 which also receives the signals from the delay buffer 71and outputs signals to the Score Calculator 73 and also to a PixelAligner 76, the latter outputting signals to a Comparator 77.

Comparator 77, which is included in the Defect Detector 60 for eachchannel, carries out a comparison between the inspected image in thevicinity of the current pixel, and the reference image in the vicinityof the corresponding pixel. The comparison is made with respect to athreshold level which is dependent on the pixel type of the currentpixels in the reference image and inspected image.

Thus, Comparator 77 includes four inputs: (1) reference pixels input(a), corresponding to the intensity of the pixels in the referenceimage; (2) reference type input (b), corresponding to the type of pixelin the reference image; (3) inspected type input (c), corresponding tothe type of the pixels in the inspected image; and (4) inspected pixelsinput (d), corresponding to the intensity of pixels in the inspectedimage. As a result of the comparison performed by Comparator 77, itoutputs an alarm value, via its Alarm output (e), of three possibleresults of the comparison: (a) exceeds higher thresholds; (b) exceedslower threshold only; and (c) below the threshold. As shown in FIG. 12,the outputs of Comparator 77 in all eight streams are fed to theDecision Table 66.

The Threshold Processor 70 computes the thresholds for classification ofthe pixels as they are scanned. The computation is based on histogramsof the characteristic parameters. There are three thresholds for eachparameter: (a) for decision on registration points; (b) forclassification of pixels in the reference image; and (c) forclassification of pixels in the inspected image.

Threshold Processor 70 receives the pixel stream from the scanned objectvia its preprocessor (e.g., 6a, FIG. 12), and outputs its thresholdlevels to the Pixel Characterizers 72 and 74, one for registration andone for the comparison.

Delay Buffer 71 delays the processing in the respective Defect Detector(e.g., 60a) and Registrator (e.g., 64a) until the thresholds have beencomputed. This ensures that the thresholds are set according to theparameters in the area which is being scanned. Thus, it receives thepixel stream from the object being scanned via its respectivepreprocessor, and outputs the same to the two Pixel Characterizers 72,74, and to the Reference Die Memory 75, after a suitable delay.

Pixel Characterizer 74 computes the type of the current pixel. Thus,during the scanning of the reference pattern it computes the type ofeach pixel in that image for storage in the Reference Die Memory 75; andduring scanning of the inspected pattern, it continuously computes thetype of the current pixel which is transmitted directly to Comparator77.

Pixel Characterizer 72 selects registration points on the basis of thepixel type, determined from the results of the computation of pixelparameters and their comparison with thresholds. Thus, its inputs arethe inspected image from the Delay Buffer 71, and the thresholds for allthe pixel parameters from the Threshold Processor 70; and it outputsregistration point flags to the Score Calculator 73 for points chosen asthe registration points.

The Score Calculator 73 computes the score matrix of correlation betweenthe inspected and reference images in all the possible shifts around thecurrent pixel, up to the maximum allowed. It receives three inputs: (a)the inspected image, to define the area around which the correlation ischecked; (b) the reference image, to define the range of possiblematches within the maximum range of horizontal and vertical shifts; and(c) a control input, from Pixel Characterizer 72, allowing the choice ofregistration points on the basis of pixel type.

The outputs of four (of the eight) streams are fed to the AlignmentControl Circuits 62 (FIG. 12) in order to calculate the properregistration.

Pixel Characterizer 74 computes the type of the current pixel. Thus,during the scanning of the reference pattern, it computes the type ofeach pixel in that image for storage in the Reference Die Memory 75; andduring the scanning of the inspected pattern it continuously computesthe type of the current pixel, which is transmitted directly to theComparator 77.

Pixel Characterizer 74 includes two inputs: (a) the digital image,outputted from the Delay Buffer 71; and (b) the threshold values fromthe Threshold Processor 70 for the relevant parameters, to enable adecision to be made as to the pixel type. Pixel Characterizer 74 isdescribed more particularly below with respect to FIG. 17.

The Reference Die Memory 75 stores an image of the reference pattern.This image contains both the intensities of the pixels and theirclassification type. It includes a Pixels input (a), receiving the graylevel for each pixel from the Delay Buffer 71, and a Type input (b),receiving the pixel classification from the Pixel Characterizer 74. Theinputs are active only when the reference pattern is being scanned, andthe reference image is retrieved when needed for the purpose ofcomparison with the inspected image. It includes a Pixels output (b)applied to the Score Calculator 73 and also to the Pixel Aligner 76, anda Type output applied to the Pixel Aligner 76.

The Pixel Aligner 76 executes an advance or a delay in the pixels beingoutputted by the Reference Die Memory 75 before they reach thecomparison stage, in order to align them with the current pixel in theinspected image. Its inputs are the pixels intensity and type outputsfrom the Reference Die Memory 75, and also an alignment control inputfrom the Alignment Computer 62 (FIG. 12); and it outputs the referenceimage pixel streams with an advance or delay.

Comparator 77 carries out a comparison between the inspected image inthe vicinity of the current pixel, and the reference image in thevicinity of the corresponding pixel. This comparison is made withrespect to a variable threshold level, which is dependent on the pixeltype of the current pixel in the reference and inspected images. Thus,its inputs (a)-(d) include the pixels intensity and type in thereference image from the Pixel Aligner 76, and the pixel intensity andtype in the inspected image from the Delay Buffer 71 and PixelCharacterizer 74, respectively.

FIG. 15 more particularly illustrates the Registrator (e.g., 64a) ofFIG. 14, especially the Threshold Processor 70, Delay Buffer 71, PixelCharacterizer 72 and Score Calculator 73.

As described earlier, the Threshold Processor 70 computes the thresholdsfor classification of the pixels as they are scanned, the computationbeing based on histograms of the characteristic parameters. TheThreshold Processor thus includes a Pixel Parameters Calculator 70a,which calculates the parameters of the current pixel on the basis of itsimmediate surroundings; a Histogrammer 70b which computes the histogramof the current pixels parameters; and a Threshold Calculator 70c whichexamines the histogram for each parameter and determines from it theproper value of threshold for that parameter.

The Delay Buffer 71 corrects the timing of the arrival of the referenceand inspected images to that of the arrival of the registration pointflags from the Pixel Characterizer 72. Thus, Delay Buffer 71 includes abuffer 71a for the inspected image, and a buffer 71b for the referenceimage.

The Pixel Characterizer 72, as described with reference to FIG. 14,chooses the registration point on the basis of the pixel type. Itincludes the following subunits: a Pixel Parameters Calculator 72a,which calculates the parameters (gradient, ratio, maximum) of thecurrent pixel on the basis of its immediate surroundings; ThresholdComparators 72b which compare these parameters with the thresholds whichhave been set separately for each parameter by the Threshold Processor70; and a Decision Type Table 72c, which determines, on the basis of theresults of the comparison by the Threshold Comparators 72b, whether thecurrent pixel is suitable at the sampling point to carry outregistration.

For every registration point the correspondence of its 3×3 pixelsneighbourhood is measured against pixels in a range of ±R in thecorresponding stream. FIG. 14a illustrates the algorithm. For each ofthe (2R+1)×(2R+1) possible misalignments, a correlation measure iscomputed as the normalized sum of absolute difference. The correlationmatrices computed for different registration points are summed, and theminimal value in the matrix corresponds to the correct misalignment.

The Score Calculator 73, as described earlier with reference to FIG. 14,computes the score matrix of correlation between the inspected andreference images in all the possible shifts around the current pixel, upto the maximum allowed (plus or minus vertical and horizontal ranges).This unit includes the following circuits: delays 73a, 73b, to correctthe timing of the arrival of the inspected and reference images,respectively, to that of the arrival of the Registration Point flagsfrom the pixel characterizer 72; Neighbourhood Normalizers 73c, 73d, tonormalize the pixels in the neighbourhood of the current pixel; AbsoluteDifference Calculator 73e, which finds the absolute difference betweenthe inspected image in the vicinity of the current pixel as against allthe possible matches in the reference image within the maximum range ofshifts in the vertical and horizontal axes, and computes the scorematrix for these matches; and Score Matrix accumulator 73f which sumsand stores all the score matrices which are accumulated during thescanning of a number of successive rows, before transmitting them to theAlignment Computer 62 (FIG. 12) for computation of the best match.

The Neighbourhood Normalizers 73c, 73d, normalizer the pixels in theneighbourhood of the current pixel in accordance with the followingformula: ##EQU1##

The Threshold Processor 70 of FIGS. 14 and 15 is more particularlyillustrated in FIG. 16. As described earlier, it computes the thresholdsfor classification of the pixels as they are scanned, the computationbeing based on histograms of the characteristic parameters. It includes,in addition to the Parameters Calculator 70a, the Histogrammer 70b andthe Threshold Calculator 70c described above with reference to FIG. 15,also a delay line 70c, which delays the pixels received at the input tothe pixel flow circuit until a column of three pixels from threeadjacent rows are received. These pixels are delayed in a pipeline delaysubunit 70d before being applied to the Histogrammer 70b.

The Parameters Calculator 70a includes a Ratio Calculator 70e, and aGradient Calculator 70f.

The Ratio Calculator 70e computes the ratio between the current pixelP(ij), and the average of the pixels in the surrounding area in thevertical and horizontal directions. If outputs the following signals:the ratio in the horizontal direction (Rh); the ratio in the verticaldirection (Rv); and the ratio to the average of the four surroundingpixels (Rij).

The Gradient Calculator 70f calculates the gradient in the surroundingsof the current pixel P(ij) in a matrix of 3×3 adjacent pixels byoperation of a convolvor with the following coefficients: ##EQU2##

The outputs of the Ratio Calculator 70e are applied to a Ratio Table ofLevels 70g, before being fed to the Histogrammer 70b, and the outputs ofthe Gradient Calculator 70f are applied to a Gradient Table of Levels70h before being fed to the Histogrammer 70b.

The Threshold Processor illustrated in FIG. 16 further includes aMaximum Definition circuit 70i, which makes a decision on the currentpixel in relation to its surroundings, to define the followingparameters: M(ij)=1, if the pixel is larger (higher in intensity) thanall the eight surrounding pixels; M(v)=1, if the pixel is larger thanits two neighbours in the same column; and M(h)=1, if the pixel islarger than its two neighbours in the same row.

The outputs of the Maximum Definition circuit 70i are applied, via apipeline delay circuit 70j, to the Histogrammer 70b.

The Ratio Table of Levels 70g divides the ratio results into K groups inorder to build the histogram. The K groups are obtained by comparisonwith a vector of K threshold level Cr(K), which indicates a differentarea of the table for each threshold.

The Gradient Table of Levels 70h divides the gradient results into Lgroups for the purpose of building the histogram. The L groups areobtained by comparison with a vector of L threshold levels Cr(L), whichindicate a different area of the table for each threshold.

Histogrammer 70b executes a histogram of the pixel intensities P(ij) indifferent cells of the memory in accordance with the followingparameters: M(Maximum); L(Gradient); and K(Ratio).

The Threshold Calculator 70c in the Threshold Processor 70 illustratedin FIG. 16 is a microprocessor which receives the results of theHistogrammer, analyzes them, and computes the thresholds for a decisionon the pixel type, for: Registration, Reference image, and InspectedImage. It outputs the results to the Pixel Type Characterizer 72 and 74,as described above with reference to FIG. 14.

Thus, the Pixel Type Characterizer 74 includes five Comparators 74b₁-74b₅ which compare the various parameters (Ratio, Gradient and Maximum)which have been previously computed in units 74a₁, 74a₂, 74a₃, with thethreshold levels coming from the Threshold Processor 70. Thus,Comparator 74b₁ compares the pixel flow with the Intensity threshold Ifrom the Threshold Processor 70; Comparators 74b₂, 74b₃ compare theoutputs of the Ratio Calculator 74a₁ with the Ratio thresholds R andRhv, respectively from the Threshold Processor; and Comparators 74b₄,74b₅ compare the outputs of the Gradient Calculator 74e₂ with theGradient thresholds G and Ghv of the Threshold Processor 70.

The results of these comparisons are fed to the Decision Table 74c,which also receives the output parameters from the Maximum DefinitionUnit 74a₃ M(ij) to decide on the pixel type.

The output of the Decision Table 74c is a two-bit word indicating thepixel type. The output is applied to a Type Updating unit 74d, whichmodifies the results of the Pixel type in certain exceptional cases,such as a pixel slope next to a pixel peak (i.e., to distinguish betweenan "isolated peak" and a "multipeak").

A pixel is assigned a type according to the following four parameterscomputed for its 3×3 pixels neighbourhood: (1) local maxima indicator,(2) intensity, (3) ratio, and (4) gradient. FIG. 17a illustrates thealgorithm to determine the pixel type from these parameters, computed asfollows:

1. Local maxima--indicates if a pixel is a maximum relative to itsneighbours.

    m(F.sub.2,2)=1 if F.sub.2.2 ≧F.sub.i,j for all 1≦i≦3,1≦j≦3.

2. Intensity--indicates if the intensity of the pixel is significantrelative to a threshold defined dynamically in a window of n×m pixels.

    I(F.sub.2,2)=1 if F.sub.2,2 T.sub.1.

3. Ratio--indicates if the intensity of the pixel is significant withrespect to its neighbours relative to a threshold defined dynamically ina window of n×m pixels. ##EQU3## 4. Gradient--indicates if the pixel islocated in a slope area of 3×3 pixels relativel to a threshold defineddynamically in a window of n×m pixels. ##EQU4## Where 0₁ are gradientoperators and x is convolution. ##EQU5##

The type assigned to a pixel may be one of the following: isolated peak,multipeak, slope and background. The type is assigned according to thepixel's parameters as follows:

1. Isolated peak--if the pixel is a local maxima with significantintensity and ratio.

    t(F.sub.2,2)=1 if m(F.sub.2,2)=1 and I(F.sub.2,2)=1 and r(F.sub.2,2) 1

2. Multipeak--if the pixel is not an isolated peak, it has significantintensity and none of its neighbours is an isolated peak.

    t(F.sub.2,2)=2 if I(F.sub.2,2)=1 and t(F.sub.i,j)=1 1≦i≦3, 1≦j≦3

3. Slope--if either one of the pixel's neighbours is an isolated peak orit has significant gradient.

    t(F.sub.2,2)=3 if t(F.sub.i,j)=1 for some 1≦i,j≦3 except F.sub.2,2

or

    g(F.sub.2,2)=1

4. Background--if the pixel has no significant intensity, or gradientand none of its neighbours is an isolated peak.

    t(F.sub.2,2)=4 if I(F.sub.2,2)=1 and g(F.sub.2,2)=1 and t(f.sub.i,j)=1 1≦i<3, 1≦j≦3

The foregoing are implemented by the Ratio Calculator 74a₁ illustratedin FIG. 18, by the Gradient Calculator 74a₂ illustrated in FIG. 19, andby the Maximum Definition Calculator 74a₃ illustrated in FIG. 20.

Thus, the Ratio Calculator 74a₁ makes a decision about the central pixelin the matrix, and computes the ratio of the pixel intensity to itsimmediate neighbourhood.

The possible decisions about the central pixel in the matrix are asfollows: (a) maximum, i.e., greater than any of its neighbours; (b)vertical maximum, i.e., greater than its vertical neighbours; and (c)horizontal maximum, i.e., greater than its horizontal neighbours.

The computation of the ratio of the pixel intensity to its immediateneighbourhood is: (a) in relation to the four immediate neighbours, ifit is a maximum; and (b) in relation to the two relevant neighbours, ifit is a vertical or horizontal maximum.

The Ratio Calculator includes nine registers, shown in FIG. 18a. Theirfunctions are to record the nine values, designated by the letter A-I,of the pixels in a 3×3 matrix.

The Gradient Calculator 74a₂ is more particularly illustrated in FIG.19. Its function is to compute the values of Gradient of the matrix inthe vertical and horizontal directions. The calculation is based on thefollowing formulae: ##EQU6##

The circuit calculates the values of the Gradient which includes thefollowing components:

a) Register Matrix: A to I, in which the values of the pixels in thematrix are recorded.

b) Left Vertical: adds the pixels in the left column according to theformula:

    (A+G+D)*2+D

c) Right Vertical: adds the pixels in the right column according to theformula:

    (C+I+F)*2+F

d) Horizontal Up: adds the values of the pixels in the upper row,according to the formula:

    (A+C+B)*2+B

e) Horizontal Down: adds the values of the pixels in the lower rowaccording to the formula:

    (G+I+H)*2+H

The Maximum Definition Calculator 74a₃ in FIG. 17 is more particularlyillustrated in FIG. 20. Its function is to compare, by means ofcomparators, the value of the central pixel E with those of itsneighbours, to determine the following parameters:

a) Mv(i,j)--A logical signal which shows the condition that the centralpixel E is greater than its vertical neighbours B and H.

b) Mh(i,j)--A logical signal which indicates that the central pixel E islarger than its horizontal neighbours D and F.

c) M(i,j)--A logical signal which indicates that the central pixel E islarger than all its neighbours A, B, C, D, F, G, H, I.

The ratio definition calculator computes the value of the Ratioparameter from the following two values:

a) Rij--The ratio of the central pixel to its surroundings. ##EQU7## b)Rvh--The ratio of the central pixel to the average of its vertical andhorizontal neighbours. ##EQU8##

The Registration Score Matrix Calculator particularly is moreparticularly illustrated in FIG. 22. This calculator includes adual-port memory 73a-73c to temporarily store a window of up to 25consecutive rows in the reference image, for the purpose of computingthe score matrix of matches to a smaller window (up to three rows) inthe inspected image. The memory has two channels of access: channel 3d,to store the image by input of the stream of pixel data continuously;and channel 73e, to output a window containing a strip of three rowswide, as required.

An input Address Counter 73f generates the pointer for the address atwhich the current pixel is stored; and an output Address Counter 73ggenerates the pointer for the address from which is outputted the windowon which registration is kept out. The input Address Counter 73f selectsthe memory via a memory selector 73h. The storage of a window from thereference image is carried out in such a manner that each new row isinputted to a different one of the three memories 73a-73c, so that thefirst memory contains rows 1, 4, 7, etc.; the second memory 73b containsrows 2, 5, 8, 11, etc.; and a third memory 73c contains rows 3, 6, 9,12, etc.

The Registration Score Matrix Calculator 73 illustrated in FIG. 22further includes a crossbar switch 73i. Its function is to transmitthree consecutive rows, and to allow switching of these rows each timethat a computation of a full row of the score matrix is completed, andthere is a need to move to the next row. AS an example, initially rows1, 2, 3 are passed to outputs A, B, C; next, rows 2, 3 and 4 are passedto outputs A, B, C, respectively; and so on. The combinations are shownin the diagrams illustrated in FIG. 22a.

The Registration Score Matrix Calculator 73 illustrated in FIG. 22further includes a converter 73k which converts the stream of currentpixels to three pixels in parallel from three consecutive rows. Theconversion is carried out by means of two FIFO (first-in, first-out)delay lines 73k₁, 73k₂, connected in series and each having a length ofone complete row.

Calculator 73 further includes a delay 731 for the purpose ofsynchronizing the appearance of the current pixel in the inspected imagewith the corresponding pixel in the output of the reference image,before inputted into the score matrix calculator for storage of therespective window.

The Score Matrix Calculator 73j computes the score matrix between theinspected and reference images for all possible shifts of the window.This method of computation is described more particularly below withrespect to FIG. 23.

The Score Matrix Calculator 73j receives three pixels from threeconsecutive rows, from which are produced the nine pixels which form theinspection image. The nine pixels are frozen while the score matrix isbeing computed. Calculator 73j also receives three pixels from threeconsecutive rows from which are produced the nine pixels which form thereference image. The nine pixels change with each clock pulse, until allpossible combinations of the 3×3 matrix within the search window havebeen completed.

The result of the normalized difference between the inspected image andthe reference image is outputted every clock pulse, until all possiblecombinations of the 3×3 adjacent pixels within the search window arecompleted.

The Score Calculator 73 further includes a Score FIFO Memory 73m. Itsfunction is to regulate the timing of the transfer of the normalizedresults, which represent the score matrix, from the Registration ScoreCalculator 73j to the Score Accumulator 73f.

The Score Accumulator 73f sums the score matrix which has beencalculated for one registration point, to that for a second registrationpoint. It thus assembles a sample of registration points until the finalmatrix is passed to the Alignment Computer 62 (FIG. 12) to compute theDx and Dy alignment control signals.

The Registration Score Matrix Calculator 73j illustrated in FIG. 22 ismore particularly shown in FIG. 23. It computes the score matrix basedon the normalized difference between the inspected image (3×3 pixels inextent), and all the N×N possible matches in the corresponding matrix inthe reference image.

Calculator 73j includes a Pixel Normalizer 81 (FIG. 23) for theinspected image; a Pixel Normalizer 82 for the reference image; aDifference Calculator 83; a Summation Calculator 84; a Division Table85; a Multiplier 86; a Results Storage device 87; and a ScoreAccumulator 88.

Pixel Normalizer 81 for the inspected image includes a registratorwindow 81a whose function is to convert the format of the inspectedimage from a serial stream of pixels to a format of a sequence ofcolumns of pixels from three consecutive rows; it thus enables, by theuse of three shift registers of length of three pixels each, immediateaccess to a matrix of 3×3 pixels.

Pixel normalizer 81 further includes a nine-addition circuit 81b, whichsums the intensities of the 3×3 pixel matrix around the current pixel.It further includes a 1/9 table 81c which divides the sum of the pixelintensities in the matrix by "9", and thereby obtains the average valueof the pixels in the matrix.

A delay 81d delays the image data stream until the results of theaverage intensity from table 81c are available. The output of table 81cis applied directly, and via delay 81d, to a group of nine registers81e, which subtract the average value from each of the nine pixels inthe matrix. The nine results, representing the normalized values of thepixels, are available simultaneously at outputs A-I of the PixelNormalizer 81. These pixel values will be frozen, and will serve as thereference for comparison throughout the process of computing the scorematrix in relation to the reference image.

The Pixel Normalizer 82 for the reference image includes a moving window82a whose function is to produce three consecutive rows in the searcharea having a size of N×N times a 3×3 matrix in the reference image. Thethree consecutive rows will supply the pixels needed to produce all thepossible 3×3 matrices in the search area. Three additional pixels areacquired once per clock pulse in order to enable a new 3×3 matrix to beproduced.

Pixel Normalizer 82 further includes a Nine-Addition circuit 82b whichsums the values of the matrix, and a 1/9 Table 82c which computes theaverage of the pixels in the matrix. The reference data stream from themoving window 82a is delayed by a delay circuit 82d until the results ofthe average intensity from table 82c is available, so that both may besupplied simultaneously to the nine registers 82e. The nine registers82e subtract the average value from each of the nine pixels in thematrix, so that the nine results representing the normalized values ofthe pixels are available simultaneously at outputs A-I.

Difference Calculator 83 computes the sum of the absolute differences ofthe 3×3 matrix of the inspected image versus the reference image. Forthis purpose, Calculator 83 includes, for each of the two PixelNormalizers 81 and 82, a Subtraction Circuit 83a, 83b consisting of ninesubtractors which compute the difference between each pixel in theinspected image versus the corresponding pixel in the reference image;an Absolute Value Circuit 83c, 83d, which computes the absolute value ofthe differences; and a Matrix Circuit 83e, 83f, which sums all the nineabsolute values. The result of the absolute sum of the differences ispassed to the Multiplier 86.

Multiplier 86 also receives the output from the Summation Calculator 84via the Division Table 85. Thus, the Summation Calculator 84 computesthe absolute sum of the two matrices on which the processing will becarried out. It includes, for each Pixel Normalizer 81, 82, an AbsoluteValue Circuit 84a, 84b, which computes the absolutes values of eachnormalized pixel; and a Matrix Sum Circuit 84c, 84d, which sums the nineabsolute values.

Division Table 85 prepares the results of the summation for theoperation of division by means of the Multiplier 86. Division Table 85executes the arithmetic operation "1 divided by the sum", by convertingthe values using a PROM (Programmable Read Only Memory) table.

Multiplier 86 computes the result o the normalized difference for thepoint under test. The computation is carried out using the formula:

    SCORE=(Σ|P.sub.I -P.sub.R |)* 1/(Σ|P.sub.I |+|P.sub.R |)!

where P_(I') P_(R) are the normalized values of the pixels.

The Result Storage Device 87 temporarily stores the results of the scoreat a storage rate which is the same as that at which the results appear,and at an output rate matching the timing of acceptance of the resultsby the Score Accumulator 88. The Score Accumulator 88 sums the scorematrix obtained at the current registration point with the score matrixobtained at the previous registration point. Summing of the matrices atthe registration point is carried out for the defined sequence ofwindows, up to K consecutive rows, before the result of the Score Matrixis passed to the Alignment control circuits 62 (FIG. 12) for processing.

The construction and operation of the Defect Detector, as illustratedfor example in FIG. 14, will be better understood by reference to FIGS.24 and 25. As describer earlier, the function of Comparator 77 is tocarry out a comparison between the inspected image in the vicinity ofthe current pixel, and the reference image in the vicinity of thecorresponding pixel, end to output an Alarm signal, via buffer 68 (FIG.12), to the Post Processor 14 indicating whether or not there is asuspected defect. As also indicated earlier, the comparison is made withrespect to a variable threshold level, which is dependent on the Type ofthe current pixel in the reference and inspected images.

The comparison algorithm is illustrated in FIG. 25a. As shown therein, apixel in a stream of the inspected image is compared against thecorresponding pixel in the reference image. The comparison is done underthe assumption that a local misalignment of plus or minus one pixel mayexist. Accordingly, a pixel is compared to the nine pixels in the 3×3neighbourhood centered at the corresponding reference pixel.

Each of the nine comparisons is made by comparing the difference betweenthe energies of the compared pixels against a threshold determined bythe pixel type. The energy of a pixel is the sum of the nine pixels inthe 3×3 neighbourhood centered at the pixel. The alarm value is set to"2", if the difference in all nine comparisons is above the highthreshold; to "1", if it is above the low threshold; and to "0" in allother cases.

Comparator 77 (FIG. 24) thus includes a neighbourhood Energy Calculator77a, 77b for the inspected image and the reference image, respectively.Calculators 77a, 77b compute the energy of the surroundings of thecurrent pixel in a 3×3 matrix of the near neighhours in the inspectedimage, and in the corresponding reference image. Delay lines 77c, 77d(FIG. 25) are provided before these calculators in order to producesuitable delays before and after the current pixel in order to obtainthe three relevant rows for computation of the energy in the vicinity ofthe current pixel. The two calculators receive, as inputs, the relevantpixels in the three relevant rows surrounding the current pixel, andoutput the arithmetic sum of the nine pixels in the 3×3 matrix aroundthe current pixel.

Comparator 77 further includes Neighbourhood Registers 77e, 77f forstoring the energies in the two Calculators 77a, 77b, respectively, andfurther Neighbourhood Registers 77g, 77h. Their function is to prepare,in parallel form, the nine relevant Types (T1-T9) around the currentpixel in the reference image, in order to determine the threshold levelto be used in the execution of nine simultaneous comparisons. Thus, theEnergy Neighbourhood Registers 77e, 77f, output nine energies E1-E9;while the Type Neighbourhood Registers 77g, 77h output nine types T1-T9around the current pixel.

Comparator 77 further includes nine conversion tables 77i for the lowthreshold level, and nine conversion tables 77j for the higher thresholdlevels. These tables are loaded prior to the inspection session. Thetables are selected from a set of tables according to the requiredsensitivity of the detection, as set by the user. Their function is tomultiply each one of the energies around the pixel being examined by aconstant which depends both on the type of the examined pixel in thereference image, and the type of the current pixel in the inspectedimage.

Thus, tables 77i, 77j receive as inputs: (a) Type (ij), namely the typeof the current pixel in the inspected image; (b) Type (1-9), namely thetype of the pixel examined around the current pixel in the referenceimage; and (c) Energy E (1-9), namely the energy of the examined pixelin the reference image. The tables output signals EK(1-9), namely themultiplication results of the input energy E(1-9), by a constant whichdepends on the type of both the current pixel and the examined pixel.That is:

    EK(1-9)=K(Tij,T)*E(1-9).

Each of the tables 77i, 77j, is connected to a Compare circuit 77k, 771,whose purpose is to compare the current energy Eij and themultiplication results of the energy of the pixel and a constant,EK(1-9). The Compare circuit outputs logical indications of the resultof the comparison, namely:

    ______________________________________                                        1                If EK(1-9) ≦ E(ij)                                    0                If EK(1-9) > E(ij).                                          ______________________________________                                    

A High Threshold Decision unit 77m tests whether all the comparisonoutputs exceeded the high threshold; and a Low Threshold Decision unit77n tests whether all the comparison outputs exceeded the low threshold.The combination of the outputs of decision table 77n and 77m is thealarm value. These eight alarm values are inputted to the decision table66 which outputs the defect flag to the post-processor 14 (FIG. 12) viathe parameters buffer 68.

The post-processor 14 (FIG. 12) thus receives the list of suspecteddefects, together with their relevant parameters, and makes decisionsbefore passing them onto the Phase II examination system. Thesedecisions include: (a) clustering; (b) choosing the points which will bepassed to Phase II; and (c) the optimum route in Phase II. The latterfunctions are carried out by microprocessor programs.

Phase II EXAMINATION

Overall System

As briefly described earlier, the Phase II examination is effectedautomatically upon the completion of the Phase I examination while thewafer is still on the table 2, but only with respect to those locationsof the wafer W indicated during the Phase I examination as having a highprobability of a defect. Thus, while the Phase I examination is effectedat a relatively high speed and with a relatively low spatial resolution,the Phase II examination is effected at a much lower speed and with amuch higher spatial resolution, to indicate whether there is indeed adefect in those locations suspected of having a defect during the PhaseI examination.

Briefly, the Phase II examination is effected by: imaging on converter 9(FIGS. 1 and 26), e.g., a CCD, each suspected location of the inspectedpattern, and the corresponding location of the reference pattern, tooutput two sets of electrical signals corresponding to the pixels of theinspected pattern and the reference pattern, respectively; and comparingthe pixels of the inspected pattern with the corresponding pixels of thereference pattern to indicate a defect whenever a mismatch of apredetermined magnitude is found to exist at the respective location. Toaccommodate variations in the thickness of the wafer and/or pattern,and/or multi-layer patterns, each suspected location of the inspectedpattern, and the reference pattern, is imaged at a plurality ofdifferent depths, and the electric signals of one set are shifted withrespect to those of the other set to match the respective depths of theimages.

Phase II Optic System

The Phase II optic system is shown generally in FIG. 1 and moreparticularly in FIG. 26. It includes a microscope objective 100 mountedin a rotating turret 101 carrying different objectives to enablebringing a selected one into the optical path between the wafer W andthe image converter 9. The wafer W is illuminated by a flashlamp unit102 via an optical device 103 having a beamsplitter 104 and a secondbeamsplitter 105. Unit 102 also contains a continuous light source, suchas a standard tungsten lamp, which is used with a standard TV camera 110and/or viewing system III, described below.

Beamsplitter 104 reflects the infrared portion of the light reflectedfrom the wafer to an autofocus unit 106, while beamsplitter 105 reflectsthe flash light to the wafer W on the vacuum chuck 24 (FIG. 3) via theselected objective 100. Beamsplitter 105 also passes the light reflectedby the wafer W via an imaging lens 107 and another beamsplitter 108 tothe image converter 9. Beamsplitter 108 reflects a part of the image viaanother beamsplitter 109 to a standard TV camera 110 and/or to a viewingsystem 111 having binocular eyepieces. The binocular viewing system 111permits an observer to view the wafer visually, while the TV camera 110permits viewing the wafer via a TV monitor.

Phase 2 Image Processor

FIG. 27 illustrates both the Phase 2 image preprocessor 10 and the Phase2 image processor 11.

The information detected by the image converter 9 is fed to apreamplifier 120 in the preprocessor 10, to a digitizer 121, and then toa memory buffer 122 in the image processor 11. The image processor 11further includes a digital signal processor which, under softwarecontrol (block 124) from the main controller (8, FIG. 2), performs thefollowing operations as indicated in FIG. 27: a matching operation 125,a registration operation 126, a comparison operation 127, and aclassification operation 128. The output from the digital signalprocessor 123 is then returned to the main controller 8.

FIG. 27 further illustrates the Phase 2 image processor 11 as includinga hardware accelerator 129 for accelerating particularly theregistration and comparison operations.

The foregoing operations are described more particularly below withreference to FIGS. 28-31.

As described earlier, the input to the Phase II image processor includestwo sets of images, taken from the inspected pattern and the referencepattern, respectively. Each set includes five images taken with focussesat different depths in order to accommodate variations in the thicknessof the wafer or pattern, or to accommodate multi-layer patterns.

As more particularly shown in FIG. 28, the reference images and theinspected images are subjected to a depth matching operation 125matching the two depth sets, and also to a registration operation 126,in which misalignment between the reference and inspected images isdetected in each depth. The list of misalignments is fed to the comparecircuit 127, Circuit 127 compares the grey level images, pixel by pixel,using surrounding pixels and adaptive thresholds obtained from a dynamicrange equalization circuit 129, the latter circuit compensating forprocess, illumination and other variations. The output of comparecircuit 127 indicates suspected defects, location and score, and is fedto the defect classification circuit 128. Circuit 128 characterizes thedata defects utilizing, not only the output of the compare circuit 127,but also previously gathered data as stored in the data base 130. Theoutput of the defect classification circuit 128 is fed to the maincontroller (8, FIGS. 1, 2) for display, print-out, or the like.

Depth Matching

FIGS. 29-31 more particularly illustrate how the depth matchingoperation is performed. Thus, the sequence of images taken from theinspected pattern is matched with those taken from the referencepattern. The goal is to match each image of the inspected pattern withthe image of the reference pattern taken at the corresponding depth offocus. Two assumptions are made: (1) the images are taken in the orderof increasing depth with a fixed difference between each two consecutiveimages; and (2) the error in the depth of the first image of the twosequences is at most the difference between two consecutive images.

Hence, if I_(i), 1≦i≦5 and R_(i), 1≦i≦5 are the inspected and referenceimages, respectively, the matching procedure detects x, where x is oneof -1,0 or 1 such that (I_(i),R_(i+x)) is a pair of comparable images(see FIG. 29), for i=1, . . . ,5. Correlation in the depth of focus oftwo images is measured by computing similarity in the variance of greylevels in the two images. The correlation measure used is the differencebetween the grey level histograms of the images. The shift x is computedas the one providing the best correlation for all images in thesequence.

FIG. 30 more particularly illustrates the matching procedure. It iscomposed of the following steps:

(1) Compute the grey level histograms for all the images (blocks 131,132). The grey level histogram of an image contains the distribution ofthe grey levels. The histogram H of an image contains in its j^(th) cellH(j), the number of pixels in the image that has a grey level equal toj.

(2) Compute the distance between the histograms (block 133). Thedistance is taken as the sum of absolute differences betweencorresponding cells in the histograms. The distance will be computed asfollows: ##EQU9## where H_(Bk),H_(Il) are the histograms of R_(k),I₁respectively.

(3) Create the distances table (block 134). This table contains thecorrelation measures computed for each pair of images.

    ______________________________________                                        d(R.sub.1 -I.sub.1)                                                                        d(R.sub.1 -I.sub.2)                                                                      d(R.sub.1 -I.sub.3)                                                                       . . .                                     d(R.sub.2 -I.sub.1)                                                                        d(R.sub.2 -I.sub.2)                                                                      d(R.sub.2 -I.sub.3)                                                                       . . .                                     ______________________________________                                    

(4) Find the diagonal in the distance table providing the least means(see FIG. 31) by computing the means of the three main diagonals (block135), and choosing the least mean (block 136), to produce the depthshift. The shift x corresponds to the diagonal providing the minimalmean, thus minimizing the overall distance between the two sets.

Repetitive-Pattern-Comparison

As described above, both the Phase I and the Phase II examinations maybe effected by a die-to-die comparison or by a repetitive-patterncomparison of repetitive pattern units on the same die (or otherarticle). FIG. 32 illustrates such a repetitive pattern on the same die.

The repetitive pattern illustrated in FIG. 32 consists of a number ofrelatively small (e.g., a few microns in size) comparable units. Atypical comparable unit in a repetitive-pattern comparison is shown asthe area bounded by the dashed line 200 in FIG. 32. As therein shown,each pixel along the scanning line 202 is comparable to a pixel which islocated at a distance "d" either to its left or to its right. Since thetwo pixels that have to be compared are contained in the same scanningline, no registration has to be done between the "inspected" and the"reference" image, as will be shown below.

FIGS. 33, 34 and 35 are block diagrams which correspond to FIGS. 12, 14and 24, respectively (which figures relate to a die-to-die comparison inthe Phase I examination), but show the changes involved in arepetitive-pattern comparison. To facilitate understanding, and also tosimplify the description, only those changes involved in therepetitive-pattern comparison of FIGS. 33, 34 and 35 are describedherein; in addition, comparable elements are generally correspondinglynumbered as in FIGS. 12, 14 and 24, respectively, except are increasedby "200".

With respect to the overall functional block diagram illustrated in FIG.33, the system receives as inputs: (1) signals from the N sensors (N=8in the illustrated embodiment), and (2) a shift control signal 204 whichdetermines the distance (in pixels) between the current pixel and theshifted pixel to which the current pixel is compared. The shift (inpixels) corresponds to the distance "d" in FIG. 32, and is supplied tothe system by the user prior to an inspection operation. The systemprocesses the N input signals and outputs a list of locations suspectedas defects.

The system illustrated in FIG. 33 (relating to a repetitive-patterncomparison) differs from that in FIG. 12 (relating to a die-to-diecomparison) in the following respects:

(1) The alignment control unit 262, and the registrator units 264a-264hfor each second detection circuit 260a-260h appearing in FIG. 12, areabsent from FIG. 2.

(2) A shift control signal 204 is inputted to determine the comparisondistance ("d", FIG. 33).

(3) Following the decision table 266, an alarm killer unit 266a isadded. Its function is to suppress defect indications which result fromnon-repetitive zones, i.e., Zones in which the comparison distance isnot equal to "d". The inputs to the alarm killer unit 266a are an AlarmFlag from the decision table 266 and a Masking Flag from a maskingmemory 266b. The output of the alarm killer circuit 266a is a DefectFlag, which is "1" (meaning "defect") if both the Alarm Flag and theMasking Flag are

The masking memory 266b generates information needed for the alarmkiller unit 266a in order to suppress false indications of defects thatresult from non-repetitive zones. Its input is a bit-map which containsa "0" for the pixels that must not be compared (i.e., pixels for whichthe comparison distance is not equal to "d"), and a "1" where thecomparison distance is equal to "d". The bit-map is generated by theuser by interactive means prior to inspection, and is loadedslice-by-slice to the masking memory 266b during inspection. The maskingmemory 266b outputs a Masking Flag which is a "0" for pixels that arenot to be compared, and a "1" for pixels that are to be compared.

FIG. 34 illustrates one channel in the processing system of FIG. 33 fora repetitive-pattern comparison. It will be seen that the followingunits appearing in the corresponding FIG. 14 (for a die-to-diecomparison) are absent in FIG. 34 (1) the pixel characterizer 72; (2)the score matrix calculator 73; (3) the reference die memory 75; and (4)the pixel aligner 76. The first two of the above units (72, 73) dealwith the registration between the reference and the inspected die; andsince registration is not needed in a repetitive-pattern comparison,they are omitted from FIG. 34. The reference die memory 75, and thepixel aligner 76 are replaced by the cycle shifter 276a. As mentionedearlier, the shift control signal 204 determines the amount of shift (inpixels) between the reference pixels and types (inputs a and b to thecomparator 272), and the corresponding inspected pixels and types(inputs c and d to the comparator 272).

FIG. 35 illustrates more particularly the Defect Detector Portion of theimage processor of FIG. 34, and corresponds to FIG. 24. This circuitcompares each pixel to its corresponding shifted pixel according to theshift amount determined by the shift control signal 204; and thecomparison generates a one-channel alarm for each pixel having a signalwhich is significantly larger than their corresponding shifted pixels.

Following are the main differences between the circuit illustrated inFIG. 35 (for a repetitive-pattern comparison) with respect to the systemof FIG. 24 (for a die-to-die comparison): The reference die memory (75,FIG. 24) and the pixel aligner (76, FIG. 24) are replaced by the cycleshifter 276a, as described above. The cycle shifter 276a generates ashift (in pixels) which corresponds to the comparable unit distance (d)in FIG. 34. The shifter amount is determined by the shift control input204. The cycle shifter 276a has three inputs: (a) inspected pixels, (b)inspected types, and (c) shift control signal 204. The cycle shifter276a is a standard shift register with programmable length. The delaylength is determined by the shift control signal 204.

Improvements in Phase II Examination

FIGS. 36-39 illustrate a number of improvements in the Phase IIexamination system described above. FIG. 36 generally corresponds toFIG. 26, but illustrates certain modifications to be described below;FIG. 37 is a diagram helpful in explaining these improvements; and FIGS.38 and 39 generally correspond to FIGS. 27 and 28, but show themodifications also to be described below. To facilitate understandingand to simplify the description, only the changes included in FIGS. 36,38 and 39, as compared to FIGS. 26, 27 and 28 are specifically describedbelow; in addition generally comparable elements are identified by thesame reference numerals except increased by "300", and new elements areidentified by reference numerals starting with "400".

A main difference in the optical system illustrated in FIG. 36, ascompared to FIG. 26, is that the FIG. 36 optical system uses darkfieldimaging of the object, rather than brightfield imaging. Thus, it hasbeen found that darkfield imaging increases the sensitivity to smalldefects, compared to standard brightfield imaging. Using darkfieldimaging in the Phase II examination is superior in confirming orrejecting alarms detected in Phase I, thereby producing a higherprobability of detection and a smaller probability of false alarms.

The Phase II optical system as shown in FIG. 36 includes a darkfieldmicroscope objective 300 mounted in a rotating turret 301 carryingdifferent objectives to enable bringing a selected one into the opticalpath between the wafer W and the image converter 309. The wafer W isilluminated by an illumination unit 400 via an optical device 303including beam splitters 304 and 305. Unit 400 is a standard unit, basedon a mercury lamp, such as supplied by Leitz. It consists of a 200 wattmercury lamp 402, a reflector 404, and a condenser 406.

Beam splitter 304 reflects the infrared portion of the light reflectedfrom the wafer W to an autofocus unit 306, while beam splitter 305reflects the light from unit 400 to the wafer W on the vacuum chuck 324via the selected objective 300. Beam splitter 305 also passes the lightreflected by the wafer W via an imaging lens 307 and another beamsplitter 308 to the image converter 309. Beam splitter 308 reflects apart of the image to a viewing system 311 having binocular eyepieces,permitting an observer to view the wafer visually.

The image converter 309 is a CCD camera with exposure control, such asthe Pulnix TM 64.

FIG. 36 further includes a darkfield shutter 408 which enables theoptics to generate darkfield images by blocking the central zone of theillumination beam IB. The optical system illustrated in FIG. 36 furtherincludes an ND-filter 410 which is used to adjust the illuminationintensity on the object, and a colour filter 412 which is used toenhance the contrast of the image.

FIG. 37 illustrates the imaging of a number of depth images at a singlelocation. In the illustrated example, there are three such depth images,but practically any number can be generated according to the techniquedescribed below.

The imaging of the locations identified as having a high probability ofa defect as a result of the Phase I examination, is accomplished asfollows: the wafer is first moved by means of the XY stage (22, FIG. 3)so that the possible defect detected by the Phase I examination islocated beneath the Phase II objective 300 (FIG. 36). The autofocus 306focusses the lens at a predetermined depth relative to the object'ssurface by moving the rotation/level/focus stage 323 to the properZ-position.

The rotation/level/focus stage is accelerated to a constantpredetermined velocity equal to the separation distance (h) between thedepth images, divided by the time between frames. When the settlingdistance is passed, three (or any other number) of images are recordedat equally spaced intervals.

The separation distance (h) between the depth images is approximatelyequal to the depth of focus. This ensures that the defect will be imagedat focus at least in one of the depth images.

Another feature of the imaging technique illustrated in FIG. 37 is thatthe exposure time used for each image is significantly shorter than theframe time. This prevents the image from smearing due to continuousmotion of the stage 323 in the Z-direction at the time the images arerecorded. As one example, the frame time may be approximately 16 msec,while the exposure time may be 0.5 mec. This short exposure time isachieved by the built-in exposure control of the CCD camera 309.

FIG. 38 illustrates both the Phase II image preprocessor 310 and thePhase II image processor 311.

The information detected by the image converter 309 is fed to apreamplifier 320 in the preprocessor 310, then to a digitizer 321, andthen to a memory buffer 322 in the image processor 311. The imageprocessor further includes a digital signal processor which, undersoftware control (bock 324) from the main controller (8, FIG. 2),performs a comparison operation 327, and a classification operation 328.Since the comparison distance (d) is small for typical repetitivepatterns, it is assumed that the CCD frame contains at least twocomparable units. Therefore, it does not perform a matching operation ora registration operation, corresponding to operations 123 and 126 inFIG. 27. The output from the digital signal processor 323 is thenreturned to the main controller.

FIG. 38 further illustrates the Phase II image processor 311 asincluding a hardware accelerator 329 for accelerating particularly thecomparison operation.

The foregoing operations are described more particularly below withreference to FIG. 39.

The input to the Phase II image processor includes a set of images takenfrom the inspected pattern in the neighbourhood of a suspected locationdesignated by the Phase I image processor. A set includes five imagestaken with focusses at different depths in order to accommodatevariations in the thickness of the wafer or pattern, or to accommodatemulti-layer patterns.

The suspected location zone is compared against a similar patternneighbourhood in the image, located at the distance "d", left to it, asillustrated in FIG. 32.

As more particularly shown in FIG. 39, the images are subjected to aneighbourhood extraction operation 325, outputting an inspected zone anda reference zone for each image in the set.

Circuit 327 compares the gray level images, pixel by pixel, usingsurrounding pixels and adaptive thresholds obtained from a thresholdcomputation circuit 329. The latter circuit computes the thresholds ateach pixel location according to the feature detector contained incircuit 324.

The output of compare circuit 327 indicates suspected defects, locationand score, and is fed to the defect classification circuit 328. Circuit328 characterizes the data defects utilizing, not only the output of thecompare circuit 327, but also previously gather data as stored in thedatabase 330. The output of the defect classification circuit 328 is fedto the main controller (8, FIGS. 1 and 2) for display, printout, or thelike.

Die-to-Database-Comparison

Instead of using, as a reference to be compared with the data derivedfrom the inspected article, data generated from real images of anotherlike article (in the die-to-die comparison), or of another like patternon the same article (repetitive pattern comparison), the reference datamay be generated from simulated images derived from a database; such acomparison is called a die-to-database comparison.

The main idea of a die-to-database comparison is: (a) to model thedatabase into scattering images, and (b) to compare these images againstthe images acquired by the imaging system from the article underinspection. The modelling, or simulating of the images, is carried outusing the method described below. The modelled or simulated images areinputted to the system and play the role of the reference die (in thedie-to-die comparison), or of the repetitive pattern (in the repetitivepattern comparison).

Thus, in the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 14, each of the eightmodelled images is inputted to its corresponding reference die memory(75, FIG. 14) in the die-to-database comparison described below, and isused as the reference stream input to the comparator (72, FIG. 14). Theabove is more particularly illustrated in the block diagram of FIG. 40,which consists of four blocks of the modelling system: a preprocessor400, a spanner 402, a convolver 404, and an adjustment unit 406. Thepreprocessor 400 and the adjustment unit 406 are used prior toinspection, while the spanner 402 and the convolver 404 are used duringinspection.

The modelling of the scattering is based on the following principles:

(a) the pattern of the object consists of typical features, such ascorners and curves; and

(b) the modelling extracts these features from the database andassociates with each feature its corresponding scattering signal.

A feature is part of the pattern which may be described by someattributes. The pattern on the inspected object is described by a listof features. A feature may be either a corner or a curve.

There are six kinds of corners, as illustrated in FIG. 41. Each cornermay appear in one of eight possible orientations. The orientations aregiven by 0=45*t, where t=0,1, - - - 7. The corners in FIG. 10 are in theorientation of 0°=0° (that is, t=0)

A corner location is the location of the edges intersection. The cornercharacteristics are:

    ______________________________________                                        k-kind,               (see FIG. 41)                                           t-orientation t = 0,                                                          , 7                                                                           ______________________________________                                    

There are three kinds of curves as shown in FIG. 42. Curvature C=R⁻¹(>,0), and normal direction α(0≦α≦360), are associated with each unitlength (e.g., one pixel) of curve k=1 or k=2 kind. Curve C=0, normaldirection α, 0≦α≧360 and length are associated with each kind k=3 curve.The normal direction is always from black to white. This curve locationis the center of the curve.

The curve characteristics are as follows:

    ______________________________________                                        k-kind, k = 1, 2, 3 (see FIG. 42)                                             L-Length, if k = 1 or k = 2 then L = 1, if k = 2 then                                                    L ≧ 1.                                      α-Normal direction from black to white, 0° ≦α.lt    oreq.                      360°.                                       C-Curvature is computed from the radius by R.sup.-1.                          ______________________________________                                    

To summarize: each feature is represented by class, location, andcharacteristics, where: Class is either a corner or a curve; andlocation is given by (x,y) in a resolution higher than the imagingresolution (that is, if pixel size in the image is "p", the locationresolution is at least p/16). The resolution is chosen such that apinhole/pin dot is at least four pixels.

The following table summarizes the above:

    ______________________________________                                        Class        Corner        Curve                                              ______________________________________                                        Characteristics                                                                            K, t          K, L, α, C                                   Location     Edge Intersection                                                                           Center of Curve                                    ______________________________________                                    

The role of the modelling is to generate, based on the featuresdescribed above, a plurality of synthetic or simulated scattering imagesto be compared to the actual image detected by the detectors. In thiscase, there are eight detectors D₁ -D₈, arranged in a circular array, asillustrated in FIG. 43.

The modelling consists of two steps: First, high-resolution scatteringimages are generated; end second, the images are convolved in order tosimulate the optic smears. Two different models are used: one model forcorners, and another model for curves.

In the modelling of corners, data is computed regarding the scatteringintensity end the corner shift. The scattering intensities, f(k,t), forall kinds of corners k(k=1,2, - - - 8) and orientations (t=0,1, - - - 7)for detector D₁, are measured and saved. The scattering intensity I ofcorner k at orientation t and detector D is calculated as follows:

    I(k,t,D)=f(k, t-D!)

where t-D!=(t-D) modulo 8.

With each corner kind (k), a corner shift (r,θ) k! is also measured andsaved in polar coordinates for t=0.

The corner shift represents the actual location of the corner relativeto its location in the database, and is a function of the manufacturingprocess.

The corner shift can be further understood using FIG. 44. The actuallocation of the corner is calculated as follows:

    X actual=X database+ΔX

    Y actual=Y database+ΔY

where:

    X=r cos β

    Y=r sin β

and

    β=θ45*t

The scattering intensities for different values of C are measured andsaved for 0≦α≦360 for detector D₁ and for the three kinds of curves. Thescattering function is g(k,α,C). A typical function g is described inFIG. 45.

FIG. 45 is an example of g(k,α,C) for k=1 (the meaning of k and α isgiven in FIG. 46). The function g is given for a number of values ofcurvature C when only two are shown in FIG. 45, C_(o) =0 and C₁ >0 (infact, the value C_(o) =0 refers to a straight line-k=3).

The scattering intensities for the other detectors are calculated by:

    I(k,α,C,D)=g(k,α-45X(D-1),C)

As a last step, the spatial distribution of the scattered intensity inthe image plane is calculated by convolving in convolver 404 thehigh-resolution scattering image with the point-spread function of theelectro-optical system used for imaging acquisition.

The task of the preprocessor 400 (FIG. 47) is to generate the list offeatures defining the object, as described above, as provided by thedatabase. The translation of the polygons data in the database into afeatures lit is done in the following steps, as illustrated in FIG. 47.

1. FIND EDGE (block 420, FIG. 47)--Translate polygons data in thedatabase into vector representations describing actual edges of thepattern. FIG. 46 provides two examples of the translation. In thepresent embodiment this step is done by using the Scanline algorithmfrom "Computational Geometry" by Preparata F. P. and Shamos M. I.Springer-Verlag, New-York Inc. The output of this step is a list ofsegments or vectors AB,BC,--etc., each of which is represented by itstwo end points. The segments are ordered in sets; each set representsthe contour of a shape.

2. FIND CURVATURE & NORMAL--(block 422, FIG. 47)--Find associatescurvature and normal to each segment. For each segment in a set, thecurvature and normal are computed using the neighboring segments in theset. In the present embodiment this step is done using the algorithm ofPavlidis T., Curve Fitting with Conic Splines ACM Tran.On Graphics, 2(1983) pp. 1-31. The output of this step is a list of segments, each ofwhich is associated with two end points, curvature and normal. Thesegments are still grouped in sets representing contours.

3. FEATURE GENERATOR--(block 424). Generates a list of features. In eachset of segments, corners are detected and the location, kind andorientation, as defined above, are computed. For each segment itslength, location and kind are computed. The output of this step is alist of features described by class, location, and characteristics.

A general block-diagram of the spanner (402, FIG. 40) is illustrated inFIG. 48. The spanner has two inputs: The first input contains a sortedfeature list, as described above. The second input contains the modeldata f,g, (r,θ). As described above, the function (f,g) simulates thescattering signals for the corners (f) and the curves (g), respectively;whereas the function (r,0) simulates the shift (rounding) of the cornersby the manufacturing process, as illustrated in FIG. 13. The spanneruses the feature data and the model data in order to generate eighthigh-resolution scattering images.

The method used for generating these images can be further understoodusing FIG. 49. The spanner (402, FIGS. 40 and 17) first classifies thefeature to be either a corner or a curve (block 430) and then uses theappropriate model in order to calculate the scattering intensities fromthe features. Since a straight line (curve of kind k=3) consists of Lsegments, the same scattering intensity is associated with each segmentof the line.

Thus, as shown in the flow chart of FIG. 49, if the feature isdetermined to be a corner, the system computes the actual location(x',y') as shown in block 432; then computes the intensity I(k,t,D) foreach detector D₁ -D₈ (block 434); and then assigns the correct intensityin the right location for each detector (block 436).

On the other hand, if the feature is determined not to be a corner(i.e., a curve), a check is made to determine the kind of curve. Thus,if "k" is not a straight line as shown in FIG. 42 (block 438), acomputation is made of the intensity (block 440), and of the edge pointsof the segment (block 442); and then the correct intensity is assignedto the correct location (block 444). On the other hand, if the featureis determined to be a curve (block 438), a computation is made of theintensity (block 446), and then the correct intensity is assigned in thecorrect location for each detector (block 448).

The convolver (block 404, FIG. 40) carries out a convolution on thehigh-resolution image input. The kernel of the convolver simulates thepoint-spread function of the electro-optical image. The output of theconvolver is an image with a pixel size which is identical to the one ofthe acquired image. Such convolvers are well known.

The adjustment unit (block 406, FIG. 40) uses input images of knowncurves and corners in order to build the models for f,g and (r,θ). Theimages used for adjustment purposes may be known test patterns. Theadjustment process is made prior to inspection and may be done once foreach type of product. The models of f,g and (r,θ) are used by thescanner as described above.

In the preferred embodiments of the invention described above, both thePhase I examination and the Phase II examination are effected, oneautomatically after the other. It is contemplated, however, that theinvention, or features thereof, could also be embodied in apparatuswhich effects only the first examination or only the second examination.It is also contemplated that the apparatus could be supplied with thecapability of effecting both examinations but with means for disabling,e.g., the second examination, if not required for any particularapplication.

Many other variations, modifications and applications of the inventionwill be apparent.

We claim:
 1. Inspection apparatus for inspecting the surface of articlesfor defects, comprising:a table for receiving the article to beinspected; first examining means overlying said table for examining in afirst phase the complete surface of the article thereon by scanning saidcomplete surface at a relatively high speed with an optical beam ofsmall diameter, and for outputting information indicating suspectedlocations on the article surface having a high probability of a defect;storage means for storing the output of said first examining means; andsecond examining means overlying said table for examining, in a secondphase and with a relatively high spatial resolution, only said suspectedlocations stored in said storage means, and for outputting informationindicating the presence or absence of a defect in the suspectedlocation.
 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said firstexamining means includes laser scanning means for optically scanning thecomplete article surface to be inspected with a laser beam of smalldiameter; and said second examining means includes a converter, andimaging means for imaging only said suspected locations on saidconverter which converts the images to electrical signals.
 3. Theapparatus according to claim 2, wherein said converter is an opticcharge-coupled device.
 4. The apparatus according to claim 2, whereinsaid imaging means of said second examining means is darkfield imagingmeans.
 5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:the article to beexamined has a plurality of comparable pattern units to be inspected, bycomparing each such unit, identified as an inspected pattern unit, withat least one other pattern unit, identified as a reference pattern unit;and said first examining means includes means for outputting informationidentifying locations on the inspected pattern unit in which thecomparison shows sufficient differences with respect to the referencepattern unit to indicate a high probability of defect in the inspectedpattern unit.
 6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said tableis constructed to support a semi-conductor wafer having a plurality oflike integrated-circuit dies each formed with like patterns, the firstand second examining means being located to examine and compare thepattern of one die serving as the inspected pattern unit with a likepattern of at least one other die serving as the reference pattern unit.7. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said table is constructedto support a semi-conductor wafer having a plurality ofintegrated-circuit dies, each formed with a plurality of like patternunits, the first and second examining means being located to examine andcompare each pattern unit of one die serving as the inspected patternunit with another like pattern unit of the same die serving as thereference pattern unit.
 8. The apparatus according to claim 6, whereinsaid like patterns in all said dies are spaced from each other apredetermined distance such as to define repetitive pattern zones; andsaid first examining means includes means for suppressing from thesuspected locations outputted from said first phase those locations notin said repetitive pattern zones.
 9. The apparatus according to claim 1,wherein said first examining means comprises:means for generating afirst flow of N streams of data representing the pixels of differentimages of the inspected pattern unit, and a second flow of N streams ofdata representing the pixels of corresponding images of the referencepattern unit; and a processor for comparing the data of said first flowwith the data of the second flow, to provide an indication of thesuspected locations of the suspected pattern unit having a highprobability of a defect.
 10. The apparatus according to claim 9, whereinsaid processor includes:misalignment correcting means for correcting anymisalignment between the two flows of data: comparison means forcomparing the data of each stream of the first flow with the data of thecorresponding stream of the second flow to provide an alarm valueindicating the significance of the presence of a suspected pixel in thestream; and detector means for detecting a defect at a pixel locationaccording to N alarm values corresponding to the N streams of data. 11.The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said second examining meanscomprises:illumination means for illuminating each suspected location ofthe inspected article, and a corresponding location on a referencearticle; converter means for receiving the images of the illuminatedareas of the inspected article and of the reference article, and forconverting said images to two sets of electrical signals representingpixels of the received images of the inspected article and of thereference article, respectively; and comparison means for comparing thetwo sets of images and for outputting an electrical signal indicating adefect at a location wherein a mismatch of a predetermined magnitudeoccurs between the inspected article image and the reference articleimage.
 12. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said secondexamining means further comprises:depth-varying means for producing aplurality of images on said converter means at different depths at saidsuspected locations on the inspected article and corresponding locationson the reference article; and shifting means for shifting the electricalsignals of one set with respect to those of the other set to match therespective depths of the two sets of images.
 13. The apparatus accordingto claim 12, wherein said depth-varying means includes a drive formoving the inspected article and the reference article towards and awayfrom said converter to produce said plurality of images at differentdepths.
 14. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein saidilluminating means includes a flashlamp which is periodically flashed topermit successive illuminations of the inspected article and thereference article on-the-fly while said articles are in motion.
 15. Theapparatus according to claim 11, wherein said comparison means includesa processor which compares the two sets of images pixel-by-pixel, witheach pixel including its surrounding pixels, in accordance withpredetermined thresholds.
 16. The apparatus according to claim 15,wherein said comparison means outputs signals indicating the location ofeach defect detected.